The Tournament of Heroes
by Imperator Justinian
Summary: The annual Tournament of Heroes is underway in Driftveil City again, and trainers from all other the world have come to participate. But who will be triumphant? And is the Tournament everything it appears to be?
1. The Preliminaries

I would like to inform those that have decided to read this, the main characters are Original Characters but canon characters will make minor appearance. And now for something completely different;

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or anything affiliated with it.

* * *

In the world of Pokémon, people catch, befriend and train with Pokémon. However, many people chose different lifestyles with Pokémon. Some study them, becoming acquainted with their higher mysteries and darkest secrets. Others train them to perform, utilizing grace and beauty in competitions. Most however utilize them in battles comprising feats of strength and wits to prove who is stronger. And one of the most popular places to do this is none other than the Pokémon World Tournament in Driftveil City.

And it was here, that the annual Tournament of Heroes was taking place. Named in honor of the Heroes of Unova, Trainers were invited to come from all over the world to prove themselves as these ancient Heroes, and their modern counterparts once had. And so they did. In innumerable numbers, every time this year, they would flock to Driftveil for the tournament. And amongst this throng of people were five who stood out. Whether it be of their position, reputation or strength, varied per person, but perhaps they would play a greater role in this tournament. And perhaps this tournament was not all it appeared to be either. But either way, they were in for the fight of their lives...

* * *

At the registration desk for the Tournament of Heroes, what appeared to be a never-ending line had gathered. Not much really stood out about the boy at the front of the line; he was perhaps fifteen, with scruffy brown hair and a white Pokeball plastered T-shirt accompanied by crisp blue jeans. In fact, had it not been for the Keldeo and the Lucario with a red collar around his neck standing by his side, he would have been completely indistinguishable from anyone else. But the fact that he had that Legendary equestrian Pokémon by his side made him stand out strongly amongst the line of competitors.

"All right, Mr. Konerson, here is your room key. And I take it from the Keldeo at your side that you are aware about our new management's permission of one Legendary Pokémon?" asked the lady behind the registration desk while handing him the metallic object with the room number engraved on the end.

"Yes ma'am," replied the boy.

"Alright then: I wish you good luck and an excellent stay," replied the blue-clad receptionist. And with that, the boy stepped to the side of the line and hurried over to the elevators at the end of the spacious lobby. After entering the elevator, which they had the privilege of having to themselves, the Lucario turned to the boy as he pressed a button that had a "4" inscribed on the front.

"So Jordan, how are you feeling?" asked the Lucario. Strangely enough the Lucario spoke orally rather than through the usual means of telepathy.

"I'm pretty excited, Ryan. I can't wait to see who I get to battle. I think I even saw Justin Black in the lobby," stated Jordan, a certain spark in his eyes about the prospect of the upcoming battles.

"The Newest Unova League Champion?" asked Lucario, who could be identified as Ryan.

"Yep. I hope I get to battle him!" exclaimed Jordan. At this time the elevator stopped and with the accompanying sound of a bell, the doors opened. The trio steeped outside and started walking down the corridors without breaking their conversation.

"He's too brutal in my taste. Still, I look forward to some friendly competition," replied Keldeo. The trio's conversation continued for some time, as they maneuvered through the rather bland hallways to find their designated room. As the trio turned a corner, however, Jordan had the unfortunate pleasure of bumping into someone, whose build was strong enough that it sent him on his backside.

"OW!" exclaimed Jordan, who was rubbing his back, trying to ease the pain of the fall.

"You ought to watch where you are going boy," said the baritone voice that belonged to the man he bumped into. Jordan didn't get a good look at him, but as he turned the corner that they just came from, he could catch a glimpse of some purple fabric as well as what appeared to be a Hydreigon following the being. And just as the figure had disappeared as soon as he came, Ryan helped Jordan up by wrapping his paws around his arm and yanking him up.

"Thanks bro," said Jordan in gratitude. The Lucario whom he considered to be something of a brother to him nodded and they continued down the hallway talking about the figure that they had just encountered. When they reached his room he inserted the key and after hearing a click sound, twisted the brass doorknob and entered his room.

"I say it was rude of that guy to not help you up," voiced Keldeo.

"It's only something minor; he was probably just in a hurry. Besides, we might as well relax while we can and not let something like that ruin our day," replied Jordan, placing his backpack down on one of the twin beds that occupied the room. While Ryan made himself comfortable on the other twin bed and Jordan started unpacking, Keldeo went over to the nearby window to get a better view. It was a decent view, rather than getting one of Driftveil City and its massive Skyscrapers, it was a view of the ocean, with its serene ocean waves in sharp contrast to the chaos of everyday life in Driftveil.

"How about we watch a movie?" asked Jordan. The two turned to him to see him holding up the DVD case to one of his favorite movies.

"Sure," replied Ryan casually. Keldeo just nodded and laid down at the foot of Jordan's bed. After the all too familiar opening:

"_**A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away**__..._"

The movie passed rather quickly, with the longest parts being the various dueling scenes. Unbeknownst to them, in another part of the structure, another duel was taking place.

* * *

A crowd had gathered around in the courtyard of the building, watching a man with sandy blonde hair, dressed in a leather bomber jacket that covered a black vest and French-cuffed shirt, duel against a Gallade. The man, utilizing a Medieval Longsword, to parry a slash to the leg made by the Gallade, quickly spun around to expertly place his weapon near Gallade's neck. However, he was far from victory, as Gallade had his own green blade that naturally extended from its arm pointed at his heart.

The two then smirked jovially at each other, the man's piercing blue eyes softening somewhat as Gallade retracted its blades. The man sheathed his sword, the blade hanging near where six well-polished Pokeballs were also located in their holders on his belt. The crowd that had gathered burst into applause at the display of swordsmanship, and after a few seconds of this and after a bow, most of the crowded dispersed, with the exception of one man.

Both the duelist and the Gallade noticed the man walking over to them, both watching the man somewhat carefully. His hair was dark, which matched his dark eyes, although it was possible his glasses made them look darker than they were. He was rather casual, with his hands stuffed inside the pockets of a red jacket that covered his green polo. However, despite his casual appearance, there was something about him which gave one the feeling of a higher intelligence and slight arrogance, clearly setting the blond man and Gallade on edge.

"I was very impressed. Every move you made was incredibly calculated," said the stranger casually.

"Thank You. Gallade and I spar every day to keep ourselves in top condition," replied the duelist, relaxing subtly.

"Matthias Unidostres," said the stranger, holding out his hand.

"Richard Brown. Pleased to make your acquaintance," replied the duelist, graciously accepting the handshake. Before either were able to say anything else, however, the speakers attached to the walls surrounding the courtyard came alive with a burst of static, followed by the voice of the receptionist.

"Will all competitors please make their way to the main stadium? The opening announcements will begin momentarily," And with that said and done, the speaker died down with another burst of static.

"I suppose that's our cue," said Matthias. With a nod of agreement from Richard, the trio then made their way towards the exit of the courtyard and towards the beginning of one of the largest tournaments in the world.

* * *

The opening announcements were rather dull and uneventful, just reminding the participants of the various rules and regulations, and then wishing them good luck. Once the opening speech was over, they were directed to go back to the lobby, where the receptionists would give them their 'tickets': small slips of paper that contained the names and pictures of their opponents, the stadium where the match would be located, the time their battle would take place and the round they were in. Since this was the preliminary round, the crowd, if it could be distinguished from a mob, was at its largest, and it took a significant amount of time before Jordan was able to get up to the desk to receive his ticket.

Once he did receive his ticket, he, Ryan and Keldeo immediately left the line and headed over to one of the couches, situated for the convenience of the participants, and they looked at Jordan's ticket. Their match would take place in about ten minutes, meaning they were one of the first matches. Above the time were the words "Stadium 3" printed on the slip of paper, and across from that was the picture of a young boy, probably ten. His hair was a lighter shade of black, and from what Jordan could tell in the picture, the boy had black eyes covered by glasses and a green polo-shirt with a white collar. Underneath his picture was the name, "Max Maple".

"He looks pretty inexperienced, bro. Do you think we should go easy on him?" asked Ryan.

"Nah, battles are their best when both sides give it their all. Besides, experience is the best teacher," replied Jordan. Both Ryan and Keldeo nodded in concurrence.

"C'mon. We better get going before the elevators get too crowded," advised Keldeo. The trio then got off of the posh couch and started walking when Jordan stopped mid-stride, realizing something.

"We don't know where stadium three is..." he said with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his brown hair. Keldeo and Ryan just returned his sheepish grin, perhaps in sympathy or humiliation.

"Uh, excuse me, Sir?" asked Ryan to a passerby, noting the sword strapped at his side in addition to his bomber jacket. When the man turned and saw that it was a Pokémon talking to him, he was taken aback momentarily, but regained his composure quickly, deciding to put that rather unusual occurrence aside.

"Yes? What can I do to assist you?" asked the man politely.

"I was wondering if you knew where stadium three was?" replied Ryan sheepishly.

"Certainly," the man replied amicably. "If you go to the left of the receptionist's desk, you should find a hallway with several elevators. Once you arrive there, get on one of the elevators and show your ticket to the scanner inside, and it will take you to your appointed stadium. However, if you do this before your scheduled match, the elevators will not move," Based on the amount of detail the stranger was able to give to the Pokémon, he concluded that he was most likely a veteran of this tournament. And while he would have liked to ask the stranger about his experiences, he simply said "thank you" and went off to his trainer, who was engaged in a conversation with Keldeo, leaving the stranger to his own thoughts about the Pokémon.

"So what did you find out, bro?" asked Jordan.

"We have to go through that hallway and then use one of the elevators to get to the stadium," replied the Pokémon.

"All right, let's go. We don't want to keep our opponent waiting, right?" said Jordan rhetorically. At that, the three followed took the path Jordan had told them and came into a hallway with, on an approximate estimation, ten elevators on each side. Jordan went up to one of them and pressed the small button to the side of it. The elevator immediately responded, opening the polished, metallic doors in a matter of seconds. Getting in, they found that it wasn't all too spacious, just enough to hold the trio and perhaps another person comfortably. Looking around, Jordan found no buttons to press, and Ryan realized he had omitted the detail regarding his ticket.

"You need to put your ticket in there," said Ryan, pointing to a small slit next to the door with a red light above it. Jordan didn't question the Lucario, and attempted to insert the slip of paper in the machine. Once part of it was in, the machine sucked the rest in with an unexpected amount of force that Jordan stepped back in surprise. A second or two passed before the light above the slit turned green and the ticket was ejected. As soon as Jordan took his ticket back, the elevator started to move upwards. The elevator moved rather fast, which was something to be expected from a state-of-the-art facility such as this. The elevator then came to a halt and the doors opened.

The trio then exited to find themselves in the stadium. It wasn't particularly large, with a platform in the center and some bleachers nearby for spectators to sit on. There weren't many spectator's, however; only two to be exact. One of them was a girl, perhaps thirteen, whose hair was covered by a green bandana; although her hair seemed to spontaneously split halfway down her head to frame her face. The only other noticeable features were her sleeveless orange shirt, and radiant blue eyes. Next to her was a boy, around her age, with a red Pokeball cap covering spiky black hair. Perched on the shoulder of his blue and white jacket was a Pikachu, looking with the focus of a hawk in the direction the battlefield, or perhaps it was looking out for something. Either way, the trio proceeded to step up on the platform and took their positions on their side of the field. Across the field was their opponent, and standing next to him was a small Pokémon whose white body gave the resemblance of an oversized dress, while its green hair that had a red horn protruding from the front was in the shape of a bowl. Jordan also noticed a referee, what appeared to be a doctor or physician of some sort, and a cameraman standing at a smallsection of the side of the platform. He guessed that the feed of this and other matches would be shown on the screens in the lobby.

"This will be a three-on-three match, with thirty minutes on the timer. No substitutions during matches, only in between. Are both participants ready?" asked the referee.

"Yes," replied Max.

"Yep," confirmed Jordan.

"Then… BEGIN!" shouted the ref, with a wave of the flags he was holding.

"Ryan, you're up," shouted Jordan.

"Go Breloom!" ordered Max, with a toss of a red and white sphere. The Pokémon that emerged was rather strange. Although bearing resemblance to a Kangaroo, the top of its head was shaped like a mushroom, while its stubby read arms were shaped like claws.

"Breloom, Sky Uppercut!" shouted Max, quickly starting the match. The Pokémon then took off at a breakneck pace, quickly crossing the field.

"Counter with Blaze Kick!" shouted Jordan. The Lucario quickly side-stepped Breloom's attack, missing his head by mere a mere inch. Lucario's back foot then ignited and he then sent it forward, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick to Breloom's side. The attack sent Breloom back with a nasty burn mark on its side in the shape of the Lucario's foot. However, after delivering the kick, Ryan seemed to pause for a moment and then failed to place his foot down or move at all, beginning to twitch spastically.

"Little Brother! Are you okay?" asked Jordan. When Ryan failed to respond at all, Jordan became even more worried.

"Lucario has been affected by Breloom's ability, Effect Spore. When Lucario made contact with Breloom, it released a Stun Spore on it, paralyzing Ryan," explained Max. "Now, Dynamic Punch!" exclaimed the small boy. Breloom's small claws then began to glow white and it charged at the Lucario. Despite Jordan's pleading with Ryan to move and break free of the paralysis, Ryan was unable to move, and Dynamic Punch made contact, sending the Lucario flying back and crashing into the stadium wall behind Jordan. However, it appeared that such a powerful attack was what Ryan needed and he managed to overcome his paralysis.

"Use Aura Sphere Ryan!" commanded Jordan, taking advantage of the opening. The Lucario then put its hands together and a ball of blue energy began to form between the gap, rapidly growing in size and intensity.

"Quick, use Double Team!" exclaimed Max. Breloom swiftly formed two copies of itself, who then formed two copies of themselves, leaving a total of five. Just as that had been finished, Ryan fired his Aura Sphere, which hit the middle copy, which simply disappeared upon contact.

"Use Dynamic Punch!" ordered Max. The four Breloom then closed in upon Ryan, their claws glowing with the same white as before.

"Counter with Blaze Kick and Ice Punch!" The Lucario's right foot then ignited once again while it's left paw was surrounded with a light-blue light. When the four Breloom came within striking range, Ryan launched its paw forward with a mighty yell, taking out the Breloom copy on the far left while simultaneously shooting his foot forward, taking out the Breloom on the far right. The two remaining Breloom attempted to hit Ryan, but he avoided them with a cartwheel. After getting away from them, he then fired off an Aura Sphere, which eliminated the last copy, although the real Breloom avoided it.

Surveying the battlefield, Jordan could tell both sides were exhausted, and the next attack would probably decide the victor.

"Sky Uppercut!" shouted Max, attempting to strike preemptively to avoid a stalemate. Breloom then took off at a breakneck pace and quickly closed the gap between the two combatants.

"Counter with a Blaze Kick!" shouted Jordan. Right as Breloom was about to strike, the Lucario grabbed its claw and pulled it in while simultaneously delivering a Blaze Kick to its side. That time the blow was powerful enough to knock out Breloom, who sunk to the ground unconscious when Ryan released his grip on it.

"Breloom is unable to battle, Lucario wins!" shouted the ref, holding up his green flag, symbolizing Jordan's victory.

"Breloom, return: You fought well." Max said while pulling out Breloom's Pokéball. He then pressed the button on the center of it and a red light shot out and Breloom was enveloped before disappearing with the light.

"Great Job bro!" shouted Jordan. Ryan went over to him, breathing heavily. "Do you need a break?" To this Ryan shook his head, wanting to tough it out.

"You ready, Ralts?" asked Max to the Pokémon beside him, who in turn, nodded. The small Pokémon then walked, if his movements could truly be called that, onto the battlefield. While both Jordan and Ryan found the sight of a Pokémon as small as Ralts attempting to challenge them humorous, they would not underestimate the Pokémon either.

"Ralts, Teleport!" ordered Max. A white light surrounded Ralts momentarily, and then the Pokémon was gone.

"Be on your guard Ryan, he can appear anywhere," warned Jordan. Ryan quickly looked around, trying to predict where Ralts would arrive. However, he could not predict Ralts would arrive in the same place it left, and was too busy looking around to notice it.

"Now, Psychic!" ordered Max. When the Lucario realized Ralts had materialized in the one place he didn't expect, he turned his head around, but could only do that before a light surrounded the Pokémon, preventing any movement. Ralts then started to move its stubby hand and with each direction it moved, Ryan was thrown into something, be it the ground, a wall or even the bleachers at one point. When Ralts had decided that it had done enough damage, it released its mental grip on the Lucario and Ryan then fell to the floor, unconscious. While Max, Ralts and the two spectators cheered at their victory, Jordan sighed and pulled out Ryan's Pokéball. He knew Ryan hated being inside the device, but he didn't really feel like lugging his unconscious body all the way to the Pokémon Center once the battle was over. Once Ryan was back in his Pokéball and equipped on his belt, he reached for another capsule and tossed it.

"Go, Zane!" shouted Jordan with the toss of a Pokeball. The Pokémon that appeared was bipedal, foxlike in appearance with black fur with red claws and feet, and had a large red 'mane' of sorts.

"Ralts, return!" shouted Max, knowing that Zoroark was a Dark-type Pokémon. He then reached for another Pokeball and tossed it.

"Go, Mudkip!" shouted Max. The Pokémon that appeared was small, blue, with an equally blue fin on the top of its head and its back while it had orange, crown like appendages on both sides of its face.

"Water Gun!" commanded Max, once again seizing the initiative. The Mudkip promptly shot out a stream of water, but rather than at the Zoroark, it was directed towards the girl sitting in the bleachers, hitting her directly.

"I knew I should have seen that coming." muttered the drenched girl despontantly. Jordan and Zane both chuckled at such a sight, however Max's attention was soon directed towards the battle again.

"Water Gun on Zoroark!" ordered Max, putting a particular emphasis this time on who he wanted the attack directed towards. The small Pokémon shot out another stream of water, however, neither Jordannor Zane made any attempt to counter. Instead the water just passed through the Zoroark, which dissipated immediately afterwards. Both Max and Mudkip realized they had fallen for one of Zoroark's famous illusions, but the realization cametoo late. Zoroark then reappeared right in front of the Pokémon with its claws glowing an eerie purple color.

"Now, Night Slash!" Jordan called excitedly. The Pokémon complied and brought down its claws on Mudkip, knocking it out in a single stroke. While Zane walked back to Jordan's side of the field, Max looked at Ralts with a determination the Pokémon didn't share. "Ralts, I know things don't look good, but-"

"Return Zane, you're up Keldeo!" Both Max and Ralts immediately looked in bewilderment at Jordan as he said that.

"Why return Zoroark?" asked Max.

"It wouldn't be much fun if it were one-sided all the time," replied Jordan. Max then smiled in return, perhaps out of appreciation or out of anticipation, but that was inconsequential right now.

"You ready, Ralts?" asked Max. The Pokémon next to him nodded, albeit cautiously. "Okay then. Teleport!" commanded Max. And before Jordan could order an attack, Ralts was gone. Both Keldeo and Jordan looked around frantically for Ralts, only for it to appear in front of Keldeo.

"Magical Leaf!" ordered Max. Ralts then quickly summoned multicolored leaves and shot them at Keldeo, landing a direct hit and then teleported away before Keldeo could counter.

"Stay on guard Keldeo, the moment it appears, attack!" ordered Jordan. Keldeo started to frantically look about, trying to predict where Ralts would reappear. This time Ralts appeared to the side of Keldeo, who immediately turned around to face the small Pokémon.

"Use Physic, Ralts!" ordered Max.

"Quick, Scald!" shouted Jordan. Before Ralts could mentally start slamming Keldeo into random objects, Keldeo fired a blast of scalding water at the small Pokémon. The blast sent Ralts back with a cry of pain and surprise. The Pokémon then collapsed, unconscious, ending the battle rather anti-climatically.

"Ralts is unable to battle; Keldeo is the winner. This match goes to Jordan Konerson." shouted the referee, with a wave of one of his flags.

"You fought great, Ralts, take a rest." said Max, pulling out the Pokémon's Pokéball and calling it back.

"Great Job, Keldeo!" exclaimed Jordan, raising his hand to give the Pokémon a high-five, which it returned by balancing on its hind hooves momentarily and hitting his hand with one of his front hooves. The two then proceeded over to Max, who was holding Ralts' Pokéball close to his chest.

"Hey, Max, is this your first tournament?" asked Jordan, trying to strike up a conversation with the younger trainer.

"Yeah," replied Max, both exhilarated at the battle, and disappointed at his loss.

"Well, you did pretty good for your first tournament. If you were more experienced, you would've been quite a challenge, " Jordan complimented. At that, the younger boy perked up, a smile starting to cross his features.

"Really?" asked Max.

"Yep. In fact-"

"Hey, Max!" shouted the girl from the bleachers, who was coming over to them, followed by the boy. "That was a great match!"

"Thanks, May," replied Max.

"You were great," said the boy to Jordan.

"Thanks. I'm Jordan," replied Jordan.

"My name's Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu," stated the boy excitedly, waving his hand in the direction of the electric mouse perched on his shoulder.

"I'm May, Max's sister," the girl introduced herself.

"Are you guys participating in the tournament as well?" asked Jordan.

Both of the early teens nodded. "Yep."

"Well, actually, I'm a coordinator, but my boyfriend talked me into it," stated May, nudging the black haired boy playfully.

"But you are enjoying it so far, right?" asked Ash, semi-serious.

"Yep, and it was good to see Max battle you. It was a great battle," May complimented, this time speaking to Jordan.

Jordan nodded. "Thanks."

"Excuse me," said the referee, coming over to the quintuplet. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but another match will begin soon, and I have to ask the four of you to exit to the lobby."

"Okay then. It was nice talking to you guys," said Jordan. He and Keldeo then proceeded to exit the battlefield and left through the way they came, as the trio left through the entrance opposite to theirs.

The elevator doors opened and as Jordan and Keldeo stepped off, they came across a surprise; Jordan's childhood friend Rex. He was dressed in his usual green t-shirt and black jeans, and his wavy orange hair was still rather wild. In short his appearance hadn't changed in the past few months that Jordan hadn't seen him.

"Hey, mate!" shouted Rex, waving his hands to attract Jordan's attention.

"Rex!" shouted Jordan as he ran over to his friend. "You're competing too?"

"I can't let ya get all the glory, mate. Anyways, I was in my room when I saw your match-"

"Wait. The TVs in our rooms can play the matches?" asked Jordan, cutting off his friend.

"Yep. Anyways, I saw your match against that kid, pretty good for a beginner by the way, and I had to come down and congratulate you," said Rex.

"Thanks," replied Jordan. Looking behind Rex, he saw that a large crowd had gathered in front of one of the monitors, looking at a match.

"What's that large crowd gathering for?" asked Jordan.

"Probably a match; bet there's a Champion involved. Let's go look." mused Rex. With that the three walked over and managed to get into a position where they could watch the match. Instead of a Champion, Keldeo saw a face that he vaguely recognized.

"I've never seen that guy before," said Jordan, pointing to the man with black hair that was tied up in the back and black eyes, although no other features were distinguishable as everything from the neck down was covered by a royal purple cloak, held together by a golden medallion with a black flower printed on the front of it. Keldeo's brow furrowed as the man became more distinguishable, but he still couldn't remember where he had seen that face before.

"Who's he up against?" asked Jordan.

"Uh... let's see... Paul Shinji." answered Rex. Jordan recognized the name of the purple-haired boy as one of Sinnoh's top trainers.

"Who's winning?" asked Keldeo.

"Looks like the other guy. Paul's lost his Torterra and Electivire, and is down to his Ninjask while our mystery man has only used his Hydreigon," stated Jordan. At that Keldeo recognized the man.

"That's the guy who ran into us in the hall!" exclaimed Keldeo.

"Huh. Did you get his name? I can't see it on the monitor; too many people are in the way," asked Rex.

"No."

"Eh. Either way he's pretty powerful to be able to-" before Rex could finish, most of the crowd broke out into cheers or applause, while battle went off the monitor, showing the face of the mystery man with the caption underneath it reading: **WINNER**. "Well, that's that. Anyways, my match will be coming up soon, wish me luck," said Rex as he ran off.

"We will!" shouted Jordan to the retreating figure. He then looked down to Ryan's Pokéball, still clutched in his hand the entire time.

"C'mon, bro: We better get you healed," Jordan commented to the Pokéball clutched in his fist. And as the crowd dispersed from the now blank monitor, he went off to the built in Pokémon Center for much needed rest.

* * *

Well that's the end of this long chapter. Please review and tell me what you think or leave some advice or criticism, it is all ways welcome.

Credits:

FictonaryMan03895 for letting me use his characters; Jordan Konerson, Ryan and Rex, as well as advice for this story.

Hoenn Master96 for letting me use his character; Richard Brown, as well as advice and beta-reading for this story.

Matthias123 for letting me use his character; Matthias Unidostres.

Aura Wielder for advice on the character based on him, Justin Black.

Pokémon for everything associated with it.

Star Wars for their opening credits.

Monty Python's Flying Circus for "And now for something completely different."


	2. The Champion and the Pilot

Paul was not having a good day. Losing to some unknown foreigner... Wait until Ash and Barry would hear about it. Barry would never let him live it down, although he probably would fare worse than him, and Ash would probably be excited at the thought of fighting someone who could easily crush him. Heh, Typical. He continued to mumble to himself as he made his way down the hallway, he passed by someone who eyed him curiously, albeit with slight disdain.

"I saw your battle." said the being. While Paul usually wouldn't pay attention to some random spectator, something about the man's voice intrigued him. He turned and was met with a surprise; the Unova League Champion, Justin Black, in his signature outfit. A white polo-shirt covered by a black jacket, complete with gray cargo pants: too casual for a champion in Paul's opinion. His brown hair was rather unkempt, but certainly not messy, and his black eyes were rather piercing. While the man tried to maintain a stoic posture, Paul could detect the disdain that the man held for him. "You're too hard on your Pokémon. They're your partners, not weapons." Paul just smirked; where had he heard that before? And how many times for that matter?

"You don't believe me? Fine, I'll show you the power of the trust between me and my Pokémon. One hour in the courtyard." With that the champion walked off while Paul just grinned to himself. Defeating a Champion would be quite redeeming.

* * *

Richard faintly grinned to himself; this battle was won. He was up against a man called "Nando", someone who wore a green cloak and carried around a golden harp. Currently he was down by one Pokémon, while Nando was down to his last, a Roserade. Considering he was using his Blaziken, a fierce, bipedal fowl-like Pokémon, this would be a quick battle.

"Now, Roserade, use Sunny Day!" commanded Nando. The Pokémon then raised both of its bouquet-like arms and within moments a strong light filled the room, accompanied by an increase in the temperature of the stadium. Richard knew what Nando was attempting to do; it was a last ditch effort to even the odds somewhat by having Roserade churn out quicker and more powerful Solar Beams. The downside was that Blaziken would have his fire attacks increase in power as a result, and he would use that to his full advantage. "Quick, Solar Beam!" Now was his chance.

"Blaziken, dodge and use Blaze Kick!" called Richard. While Roserade was still charging it's attack, Blaziken took off at a speed that made it nothing more than a blur, and in mere moments, Roserade was sent against the stadium wall, unconscious.

"Roserade is unable to battle! Blaziken wins! The victory goes to Richard of Mistralton City!" shouted the ref with a wave of a flag. Blaziken returned to Richard's side as Nando pulled out a Pokéball and recalled his exhausted Pokémon.

"Well done my friend." complimented Richard, giving the Pokémon a firm pat on the back. He then pulled out a pocket watch and gazed at it momentarily before putting it back in a jacket pocket. "Now, Let's go meet Skyla, it should be around lunch time." Blaziken gave a thankful nod, followed by a small growl coming from its stomach, to which it gave a sheepish grin, and the duo headed off to the elevators.

* * *

After the elevator doors opened, and Richard and Blaziken stepped out, they were greeted by the sight of a woman with chestnut red hair dressed in a blue sundress, waving her hands cheerfully some distance away, trying to draw their attention. Her motions worked and the two walked over to her, meeting her halfway as she ran up to them as well.

"I have to say, your battle was impressive as always, Richard," stated the woman, pulling the blonde man into a hug and planting a kiss onto his cheek.

"Thanks Skyla, but most of the credit goes to Blaziken; he did the fighting after all," Richard replied, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. Blaziken then made a chuckling noise and grinned happily at the praise.

"Well, let's go get something to eat; I'm famished," Skyla said casually. While a good meal appealed to all three of them, it appeared the Blaziken was the most excited about the prospect, as he started to run off towards the direction of the food court.

* * *

The trio, after getting their food, had decided to sit at one of the wrought iron tables in the courtyard, enjoying the scenery and relative peace.

"This is a pretty good salad," Skyla mused, taking another forkful out of her Caesar Salad. Blaziken also exclaimed his name contentedly, approving of the Pokéfood he was eating. Richard just smiled at his fiancé and stayed quiet, enjoying the scenery.

As he scanned around the courtyard, the blonde trainer noticed out of the corner of his eye a man standing in the middle of the courtyard. Richard recognized the man as Justin Black, due to his distinct, although overly casual, outfit that was reminiscent of a chessboard. He was pacing back and forth, appearing to be eagerly awaiting someone. Just as he had seen the man, he noticed that the champion in question immediately looked across the field, staring down a purpled-haired teen in a blue jacket. The kid just smirked back haughtily, and reached to his belt, grabbing one of the Pokéballs attached to it.

"Electivire, Stand By!" Paul shouted, tossing the Pokéball he was holding.

"Show them our strength, Loki!" shouted Justin with a toss of his Pokéball. The Pokémon that formed from the release of light had a shadowy body of a purple color, with red eyes and a sinister grin completing the look of this Pokémon. The imminent battle had started to draw attention, and soon the once peaceful courtyard was filled with spectators. Still, Richard didn't mind the disturbance; watching a Champion battle would be fun, as well as informative if Richard ended up facing him in battle. His partner and fiancé seemed to be interested as well, as they had both stopped eating to watch. The battle soon began with Justin giving the first order.

"Mean Look, Loki!" commanded Justin. The Gengar's eyes flashed for a moment, and despite Paul yelling commands at Electivire, he found himself unable to move. Just as Justin had planned.

"Now, Confuse Ray!" Gengar then formed a ball of eerie light in of its hands and shot out the orb at the still paralyzed Electivire.

"Dodge it Electivire; NOW!" shouted Paul angrily. The strength of Paul's voice managed to shake the Pokémon out of its dazed state, but Electivire, despite its natural speed as an electric type, was too bulky, and the orb of light managed to catch up to it. It started to circle around the Pokémon, and after getting past Electivire's yellow legs, disappeared, leaving an erratic Pokémon behind. Justin could tell Paul was becoming increasingly frustrated; his orders were misinterpreted by the Pokémon, which in turn shot out random attacks in random directions, causing many spectators to scatter in fear; one of them heading directly for one of the nearby tables.

With a shout of surprise at the attack heading toward the table with impressive speed, the blonde man sitting at the table with a woman and a Blaziken leaped up and jumped in front of the attack, casting aside his jacket before taking it full in the arms crossed over his chest. For a few seconds, dust and smoke from the attack clouded the man from sight, but once it cleared away, and to the general astonishment of the people nearby, he was still standing, though twitching slightly as the residual electricity made its way out of his system. "Hey! Be careful with your attacks! That could've seriously hurt somebody!" The man yelled angrily before picking up his jacket and gingerly sitting back down at the table.

The two trainers doing battle, however, took little notice. "Toxic," ordered Justin with an air of nonchalance: Whether or not he was losing interest in the match or if it was an attempt to irritate his opponent even more was left for the spectators to decide. In response, Gengar immediately shot out a jet of purple sludge that landed all over the plaza that they were battling on, evaporating the grass and leaving behind ominous purple fumes. Electivire stumbled into a patch of the purple fumes, inhaling it and then turned a sickly green. Paul was now fuming, yelling commands at his incapable Pokémon while Justin and his Gengar seemed rather indifferent to the battle itself.

"Okay Loki, let's finish this. Hex," Justin commanded. Loki then formed a purple ball in its hand and shot it at the downed Pokémon, hitting it directly in the forehead, knocking it out.

"Useless," Paul ground out lividly as he returned his Pokémon to its Pokéball. He then turned and left the plaza indignantly. While the crowd erupted into cheers and applause at the battle, the Pokémon turned to its trainer and said something.

"Nah, I doubt he learned anything: Too prideful. C'mon, let's get something to eat. I'm starved." replied Justin. He then turned tail himself, and with his Pokémon in tow, took his leave. While the crowd dispersed two figures in the shadows looked on the scene with interest.

"Hydriegon?"

"No, that one is too rash, focused only on his own glory... The other one though, he might prove to be a challenge... I look forward to it..."

"Hydriegon!"

"Yes. It will certainly be interesting..." with that, the two figures in the shadows vanished, blending in with the background and returning to the building.

* * *

"Wow!" Jordan exclaimed to his two Pokemon excitedly. "I can't believe we got to see a champion battle in real life!"

"Yeah, it was pretty cool to watch him beat that guy." Ryan grinned while getting up on one of the beds in the room. Jordan then looked at Keldeo for a few minutes and then decided to strike up a conversation with the Colt Pokemon.

"Hey, Keldeo."

"Yes?"

"It's been a few months since you joined my team and I haven't given you a nickname yet," Jordan stated.

"What if I don't want a nickname?" That statement took Jordan off guard. He had never met a Pokemon who had not wanted a nickname before. Then again Keldeo was a legendary Pokemon, so maybe he just wanted to retain his name as such. "Why not?" Keldeo just shrugged. Perhaps Keldeo was just putting it into perspective.

"How about Arthur?" suggested Keldeo.

"Why Arthur?"

"After King Arthur."

"I guess that fits; both of you are brave and noble after all. Okay Arthur, I guess that will be your new name now," mused Jordan.

"So what now?" Asked Ryan, who had been quietly observing their conversation. "We have a few hours before our next round begins."

"How about some training!" exclaimed the newly christened Arthur.

"I don't know... I don't want to take the chance of either of you getting hurt before our next match." Jordan said cautiously.

"Then what should we do?" returned Arthur.

"Why don't we go down to the lobby and watch some of the matches?" suggested the Lucario.

"Sounds good to me Bro: Maybe we'll run into Rex." replied Jordan.

"I second that." the Keldeo stated. The trio then filed out of the room, unaware of the events taking place mere feet below them.

* * *

When the trio steeped off the elevator and entered the rather spacious lobby, they noticed that it was surprisingly vacant, derived even of the employees.

"Where is everyone?" asked Ryan, his voice echoing off the empty hallways.

"I don't- What's going on out there?" noticed Arthur, pointing one of his hooves in the direction of a large crowd that had gathered outside in front of the building.

"Whatever it is, I don't have a good feeling about it." stated Jordan. Still, despite that feeling in his gut, he, with his friend and "brother", went outside to investigate. Getting in the back of the crowd Jordan was compelled to ask someone what was going on, but given their frenzied shouting it would probably be unwise. Looking over the shoulder of a nearby participant, he managed to see what appeared to be a hot air balloon above the crowd in the shape of a feline Pokémon, a Mewoth.

"Ha Ha! Finders keepers, losers' weepers!" shouted a crimson haired woman with an outrageous hairdo, dangling a Pokéball between her gloved fingers.

"Jessie, I don't think it's a good idea to taunt the crowd." said a man with purple hair who was holding a glass cage that contained a Pikachu.

"Yah Jess, dey didn't even let us do our motto." grumbled a small Pokémon?

"Well, no time like the present! Prepare for trouble!" the red haired woman began.

"And make it double!" the purple haired man continued.

"I have seen enough... Hydreigon, Tri Attack!" commanded someone in the throng of the crowd.

"Tri Attack!" exclaimed the woman as if it was part of their motto.

"Tri Attack!" repeated the man, equally oblivious.

"TRI ATTACK!?" the trio then exclaimed in shock and realization. Three colored orbs then slammed into the balloon, one to the basket, one to the trio and one to the balloon itself. An explosion quickly followed, with the trio flying off and both the Pokéballs and cage falling to earth. While most of the crowd was frantically running around in attempts to retrieve the Pokéballs, a boy in the middle of the crowd dove out to catch the cage containing the Pikachu.

Sliding on the pavement, no doubt sustaining a few nasty scrapes, the boy managed to catch the cage before it hit the earth. Releasing his friend from its captivity, he turned towards the crowd to address the man with the Hydreigon.

"Thanks... Mister?" the man was nowhere to be seen. While part of Ash's mind attributed this simply to the chaos of the crowd, a Hydreigon is a very distinctive Pokémon. He just frowned to himself, but dismissed the idea, turning back to his injured partner.

Jordan and his two Pokémon were equally taken in the confusion of the crowd, being as they were momentarily enveloped in it, but he did have better luck in finding their rather elusive mystery man. Getting back on his feet after being knocked down by a member of the now frenzied mob, he stood up just in time to see the same Hydreigon and a piece of purple cloth entering the massive complex.

"Hey Jordan!" Jordan couldn't make out where the person had called to him, by now the crowd was squabbling over which Pokéball belonged to which trainer, but he knew who had called to him. He looked to his right to see Rex running towards him, a Pokéball in his hand. He had obviously been caught up in the chaos of the crowd, his orange hair was more disheveled than usual, his clothes were covered in dirt and Jordan was pretty sure he saw some bruises on his face.

"Uh... You got a little something..." stuttered Keldeo.

"I know, mate. Anyway, you're lucky you came out when you did or you might have ended up in that mob." replied Rex, rubbing a rather nasty scrape on his arm.

"So what's this all about anyway?" asked Ryan.

"Well those three came in the courtyard and claimed to work here, and said that they would be taking people's Pokémon for safe keeping since there had been a thief runnin' around. Mind ya mate that they were pretty suspicious from the start but they threatened to give someone the boot if they didn't give up their Pokémon. So I handed over some of mine for safe keepin'. Then when this boy with a Pikachu came over, they pulled out this weird device and took it from him. I didn't really get to see what happened next, but I know they took off with everyone's Pokéballs and then somehow got into a hot air balloon. Then they tried to get away, but the crowd surrounded 'em. Then for some reason they started singin' some sort of song until that guy ordered his Pokémon to blow 'em up."

"Well, at least nobody got-" Jordan was cut off from his statement by groaning coming from the area where the crowd was. The four looked over to see many badly bruised people clutching Pokéballs, walking towards the front doors, no doubt going to get ice. As four then turned to walk back into the complex, the speakers in the courtyards crackled to life with a burst of static.

"Attention! Attention, please," a female voice said over the loudspeakers. "In light of recent events the second rounds will be pushed back by two hours. Thank You." with that the loudspeakers emitted another annoying burst of static before going silent.

"Guess we have two hours. You probably should get cleaned up." Rex simply nodded in response and the four entered the building.

* * *

Two hours had passed by relatively quickly with the company of another movie, and when the timer that Jordan had set went off, he got his Pokeballs and his partners and quickly headed out of the room, even forgetting to turn of the television. Quickly heading down to the lobby, they found themselves ahead of the rush. Going up to the counter they got their ticket and the face on it surprised Jordan; it was Rex's. While part of him was hoping that he would have fought him in a later round, another part was excited at the prospect of fighting his rival/best friend again. Telling Ryan and Arthur who they were up against, the three eagerly ran off towards the elevators.

* * *

With that another chapter is done, and while not as long as the last I hope it was just as enjoyable.

Credits:

BrickBoy1895, formerly FictonaryMan03895, for letting me use his characters; Jordan Konerson, Ryan, Arthur and Rex, as well as advice for this story.

Hoenn Master96 for letting me use his character; Richard Brown, as well as advice and beta-reading for this story.

Pokémon for everything associated with it.


	3. Old Rivals

I am quite glad about the amount of positive feedback I have received, so here is the third chapter.

And now for something completely different:

* * *

The elevator seemed to move at a slower pace than before. Jordan held his breath, would Rex defeat him this time? Both of them had drastically changed over the course of a few months, and now both were stronger than ever. Despite his friends at his side, he still felt Butterfrees in his stomach. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the elevator seemed to slow down before finally resting. The doors opened, and the trio stepped out and saw their rival already at the other side of the field. At the sight of Rex, and the determination that he exuded, most of the uneasiness dissipated. This would be a battle between friends, but also one between rivals. And he would have to do his best to win if he wanted to continue to be called a rival.

"Are both trainers ready to battle?" the referee got no response; it would seem that they were too busy evaluating each other. Having experienced this before, the referee simply sighed and waved his flags. "BEGIN!"

"Pika Jr., Show this lad what we got!" and with the toss of a Pokeball, a small yellow Pokemon emerged. Despite the size of the Pikachu, there was a ferocity in its eyes that Jordan and Ryan knew all too well.

"You're up bro," Ryan nodded and stepped onto the battlefield, this seemed to make the opposing Pokemon excited as sparks now danced from the red pouches on it's cheeks.

"Volt Tackle!" yelled Rex without preamble, eagerness lacing his voice. Pika Jr. then charged at Ryan, a yellow field enveloping it.

"Dodge it!" The Lucario then did a cartwheel to avoid the attack, causing the Pikachu to go by him completely and then pass into Jordan's "box". The ref was about to say something but Rex beat him to it.

"Use Quick Attack to maneuver!" the Pikachu did as told and with a burst of speed ran up the elevator door and then the wall above it, leaving behind a blur. And before Jordan or Ryan knew what happened, it ricocheted off the wall, maintaining the yellow field in front of it, and launched itself at Ryan. The speed the small Pokemon went at was incredible and before Ryan could dodge or even Jordan could order him to, the Mouse Pokemon collided with the canine, sending both back from the force of the impact. The mouse landed on its feet with some difficultly, while Ryan was sent tumbling across the field before managing to get up.

"Attack with Bone Rush!" despite being on the opposite side of the field the Pokemon heard perfectly and put out his paws, a bluish light starting to form and expand between them. With a great battle cry, the Steel and Fighting type charged impetuously at the yellow mouse.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu then launched a powerful bolt of electricity at the charging Pokemon in hopes of breaking its concentration, but acted too late. The energy had finished forming, which was now in the shape of a large bone, and Lucario swung it upwards, colliding with the electricity. Seconds later the bolt was completely gone and Lucario appeared to be unharmed. Lucario then lurched forward, holding the bone as if it were a quarterstaff, and swung at Pika Jr.

"Counter with an Iron Tail!" The Pikachu's tail was covered in a coat of metal at the last moment and used it to spring upwards. Ryan's attack missed entirely and Pika Jr. flew over him. Landing behind the canine Pokemon, he swung his tail, only for it to be blocked by the bone that Lucario held. Turning around, the canine swung again, only for Pikachu to do a somersault and block once again with his tail. The Pikachu landed a good distance away from the Lucario, but the latter managed to close the gap quickly and swung again. Pikachu blocked it by turning his tail around, only for the Lucario to spin in place and strike Pika Jr. across the face on its unguarded side. With the small mouse momentarily dazed Ryan saw his chance. He swung downwards, hitting the Pokemon over the head, then spun the bone upwards, hitting the poor mouse under the chin which sent it flying.

Amazingly when the Pokemon crashed it managed to get back on its feet. It saw the temporary disbelief on its opponent's face and took advantage of it, sending a Thunderbolt Ryan's way. The volts that entered the Pokemon's body managed to snap it out of its daze, and break its concentration. The bone in the Pokemon's hand dissipated as he howled in pain and fell to his knees.

"Now, Volt Tackle!" Pikachu then shot off, breaking the stream of electricity charging at Ryan and enveloped itself in electricity. While Lucario struggled to stand Pikachu quickly gained ground, but Jordan, watching the whole battle, had an air of calmness the made Rex uneasy.

"Counter!" Lucario then quickly stood up and formed another piece of bluish energy in his hand. He then quickly swung it at Pikachu as if it were a baseball bat, and the small Pokémon was sent flying. This time, as Pika Jr. crashed into the ground, it did not get up. Rex quickly reached for his Pokeball while one of Ryan's knees gave out.

"Pikachu is unable to battle, Lucario wins!" shouted the ref with a wave of a flag.

"Get some rest Pika Jr." a red beam shot out from the sphere, enveloped Pikachu and then disappeared along with the being. "You did great."

"Ryan!" shouted Jordan to his now struggling Pokémon. "Take a break."

"No. I can keep fighting!" the Pokémon shouted back.

"You won't last for long; you're pushing yourself too hard!"

"No, I will endure..." the Lucario's other knee gave out and he was forced to sit on the floor. While Rex seemed slightly amused by the two arguing, most likely because he was used to it, the ref was taken aback by a Pokémon verbally speaking. Regaining his composure he turned to Jordan.

"Mr. Konerson, you need to make a decision." Jordan just grumbled; now was not the time for Ryan to try to tough it out.

"Ryan, if you don't come back I'll have to use the Pokeball!" that seemed to do the trick, as the Lucario managed to get up and stumble over to Jordan's side of the field before sitting down again. Jordan then reached down to his belt and grabbed a Pokeball.

"Go, Dragon!" the red and white sphere flew before releasing a burst of white light. When it had dissipated, a large, orange, reptilian Pokémon stood on the field of battle. It spread its large wings and let out a roar, with the fire on the tip of its tail growing as a result.

"Do your best, Metang!" the Pokémon on the other side of the field had a metallic, disc shaped body with two teal arms jutting out from them. At the sight of the robotic Pokémon, the flame on Dragon's tail flickered before returning to normal, as if he was excited. Metang seemed to have the same sentiment as it thrust its arms forward in a taunting manner.

"Looks like they still remember their last battle." Jordan nodded at his friend slash rival's observation.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting. Flamethrower, Dragon!" The Charizard then opened its mouth and spewed out a barrage of flames. The stream of fire overcame the Pokémon and for what felt like hours burnt the surrounding area. When Charizard finally stopped and the majority of the flames abated, Metang was behind a light green and transparent wall, clearly unharmed.

"Its Light Screen has gotten stronger." Jordan mused. "Dragon Claw!" Dragon's left claw started to glow, and after flapping its wings to gain some altitude, flew towards the dual type.

"Use Meteor Mash, meet it head on!" Metang's shield dropped and similar to Dragon's claw, his right arm started to glow and sparkle, not unlike a firework. It took off and within moments collided with the much larger Pokémon. A loud explosion followed and Charizard was sent into the roof, leaving an impression of its tan stomach. Metang had a large scratch on it, but did not appeare to be fazed.

"Again!" as Charizard fell to the earth, Metang's arm lit up again and it shot off again, hitting Dragon in his snout. The reptilian Pokémon then crashed in front of Jordan, and by supporting himself with a claw, struggled to get up.

"We won't go down that easily! Right, Dragon?" Dragon gave a powerful roar as a response, even though it was rubbing a notable bruise on its snout. "Now, Flare Blitz!" The orange Pokemon let out another roar and its entire body was engulfed in flames. Flapping its wings, it took off and charged the opposing Pokemon. Both Metang and Rex knew that the Charizard was too fast to try and dodge, so they were forced to meet it head on.

"Counter with a Thunderpunch!" Metang's arm surged and cackled with electricity, and it flew off towards Dragon, intent on another head first collision. Right as they were about to collide, Dragon swerved upwards, avoiding the punch and the collision entirely. The Pokemon then flew downwards and effectively dive-bombed the Metang below, crushing it beneath a barrage of flames and the Fire-Type's weight. The large Pokemon got off the blue one, revealing that it had crushed it into the stadium, leaving a crater in the shape of a Metang.

"Metang is unable to battle, Charizard wins!"

"Return Metang, we'll patch you up after this." Rex then looked down at his belt and saw he had only one option left. He then grabbed the Pokeball he threw it.

"Go, Scizor!" A large, red, insect-like Pokémon appeared on the field. Dragon turned around to look at his new opponent and simply scoffed. "Hyper Beam!" The smug look on Dragon's face immediately dissipated as he stepped back. Scizor extended its steel covered pincers and opened them. As a small light that quickly grew with each second appeared in them, and Jordan knew he had to act fast.

"Flamethrower, quick!" Charizard then began to spew out flames once more. Right before the met their mark, Scizor retracted its pincers and then pushed them forward again, a massive beam of pure energy pouring from them, effortlessly absorbing the flames and everything else in its path. Before the Charizard could act, he too, was engulfed in the beam of energy before entirely disappearing from sight. When the beam finally ended, Dragon was gone and Scizor was grasping for air. Looking around for his Pokémon that somehow appeared to have vanished into thin air, Jordan finally turned around to see that the Pokémon had crashed into the wall right next to the elevator.

Sighing, he pulled out Dragon's Pokeball and returned the Pokémon to it. He then looked down to Arthur; the Keldeo seemed to want to fight a still beleaguered Scizor.

"Okay, Arthur, you're up." Arthur nodded and galloped onto the field. Rex, seeing that his Pokémon was still tired, decided to but it some time.

"Arty huh? So you finally gave a nickname to Keldeo."

"It's Arthur!" shouted the Keldeo.

"Sure thing Arty." replied Rex, which only seemed to unnerve Keldeo.

"Arty... sounds a bit better than Arthur." mused Jordan jokingly.

"Not you too..." Arthur muttered, his head sinking. Jordan just gave a light-hearted laugh.

"Okay Rex, you've stalled enough," Rex seemed to be taken back a bit by Jordan's directness. "Now, Arty; Sacred Sword. Use your Aqua Jet to propel yourself forward!" shouted Jordan. Keldeo's small horn on the front of its head shone white and then extended, forming a blade, while water sprayed out of his hooves. Using the water to propel himself, Arthur shot off like a rocket at the exhausted Scizor. Just as Keldeo was within swinging distance of Scizor, it seemed to completely shrug off the exhaustion.

"Now, Scizor!" Scizor's pincers glowed white momentarily and it brought both of them down on Arty, knocking him back.

"An X-Scissor. Did Scizor really just fake being tired?" Jordan wondered while Keldeo managed to recover and land a few feet from Scizor.

"Night Slash!" Jordan looked across the field to see that Scizor had taken off and was slashing at Keldeo with its pincers. His few seconds of bewilderment had cost him, and now Keldeo was on the defensive. "Sacred Sword!" Arthur's horn once again extended and started to swing it around to try to gain distance. The gamble worked and Scizor had backed up, leaving its side vulnerable. Keldeo then charged horn-blade first and landed a blow against Scizor.

"Another X-Scissor!" Scizor then charged again and brought down it's pincers only for Keldeo to swing again, blocking the attack.

"Focus Blast!" Kedleo then broke the deadlock with Scizor by jumping up and pushing the Pokemon back with his front hooves. After that he propelled himself off of Scizor's chest and landed a good few feet away. His horn then stopped glowing and retracted, followed by a small orb of energy forming in its place.

"Break it!" Scizor then sped forward, and cracked Keldeo over the head, breaking its focus and thus the sphere. Scizor then used its pincer to grab Arthur by the throat and hold it up.

"Now, Hyper Beam!" Arthur's eyes grew wide in fear as he struggled to get loose from Scizor's grip, to no avail. Scizor's free pincer started to form a ball of energy, and at seeing that, Keldeo tried even harder to break free. Then Arthur managed to kick Scizor in the shin, making it loose its balance. Scizor then fell back, letting go of Arthur in the process, and then released the Hyper Beam on the roof.

The beam then went through the roof, causing part of it to collapse. Jordan however, was paying no attention to that, as he saw his chance. "Now Keldeo, Sacred Sword!" Keldeo then ran up to the downed Scizor, then used his blade to fling it up in the air, and then slashed at the Bug Pokémon as it fell down.

The attack was a blessing in disguise though, since it got Scizor away from the falling debris. Keldeo saw it too late and was frantically dodging each piece of material. This time Rex saw his chance.

"Quickly, Night Slash!" Scizor's wings then started to bat, and then it sped off towards Keldeo, effortlessly dodging each piece of falling roof.

"Dodge the attack Keldeo, counter with Sacred Sword!" Keldeo did what he could to dodge Scizor's furious swipes, but was too busy dodging the crumbling roof and Scizor managed to get a few good strikes in before hitting Arthur across the face and sending him tumbling back.

When Arthur finally came to a stop, he simply groaned and then collapsed. Jordan let out the breath he was holding in and returned Keldeo to its Pokeball. He then looked down at Ryan, who was sitting on his knees. Ryan, who had been watching the entire time, looked up at Jordan and nodded. He then jumped up and landed on the field, in front of Scizor.

"Ice Punch, Ryan!" Ryan's paw then had a light blue glow envelop it, followed by it being propelled into Scizor's face before the other Pokémon could react.

"Blaze Kick!" Lucario, with a stunning speed, brought up his flaming foot and tried to kick Scizor in it's side.

"Grab him!" Scizor then reached down and grabbed Lucario's leg with both of its pincers, and then started to swing Ryan around.

Forced to abandon his attack, Ryan tried to break free of the iron grip of Scizor, but to no avail. Scizor then leaned back, beat its wings faster, and then picked up speed to the point where Ryan could no longer hold onto its pincers and was forced to go limp. Scizor then let go, and sent Ryan flying towards a large piece of debris. Ryan used this to his advantage however, and used the rock to bounce back at Scizor with another Fire Kick. And before Scizor had a chance to counter Ryan crashed into it, knocking down the Pokémon.

"Aura Sphere!" Ryan then placed both of it's paw's in front of Scizor's face and began charging up a small blue orb that grew with each second. Scizor then struggled against Ryan only for him to manage to roll out from his foot at last second. The red bug then stood up and flew back as the Aura Sphere crashed into the ground, leaving a small crater behind.

"X-Scissor!"

"Counter with Bone Rush!" Scizor then lunged at Lucario, bring it's pincers upwards. Lucario managed to bring the bar of energy that it had formed upwards as Scizor brought its pincers downwards, creating a deadlock.

Lucario quickly took advantage of this and brought the other side of the bone upwards, connecting with Scizor's chin. This sent the bug Pokémon tumbling back, which Ryan capitalized on. He charged forwards and delivered a flurry of strikes, the last of which sent Scizor flying into a large piece of debris.

When everything had finally settled, Ryan withdrawing his blade, and Scizor not getting up, it was clear that the Lucario, though exhausted, was the victor.

"Scizor is unable to battle, Lucario wins. The victory goes to Jordan Konerson!" Just as the ref waived his flag, the elevator door opened and one bespectacled trainer stepped out.

"Yeesh, you two certainly did a number on this place." Jordan then looked around at the damage that their battle had inflicted; the battlefield was littered with craters and pieces of roof, said place had a large hole in the center of it, and the walls were scorched with the remnants of various attacks. Rex seemed to be taking account of the aftermath too and turned to the ref.

"We're going to have to pay for this right?" the ref just sighed.

"As much as I want to say yes, these things do happen when you host a tournament. We have funds set aside for such, although I doubt this field will be used for some time." both Rex and Jordan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Rex, I'll meet you down in the lobby." Rex nodded and turned towards his elevator while Ryan walked back over to his side.

"Good Job bro, we probably should get you checked out though." The Lucario simply grumbled in agreement, Jordan knew about his distaste of the Pokémon Center. The two then turned themselves towards the elevator and entered, only to find the stranger holding the door for them.

"Thanks." the stranger nodded back. "So you were next up, right? Sorry about that."

"It's fine, I'll just have to sort it out with the front desk." The stranger then looked Jordan in the eyes, though a glare from the florescent light in the elevator prevented Jordan from seeing past the man's glasses.

"Matthias Unidostres." the man then extended his hand which Jordan shook. "Jordan Konerson. The Lucario next to me would be Ryan Konerson." Matthias then cocked his eyebrow at that statement; now he was curious. Before he could ask, Ryan beat him to the punch.

"I am "adopted", If you will. Since I can speak and act like a human, Jordan and his family treated me more as a human than a Pokémon," Now he was even more curious.

"And how can you speak orally?"

"Brain Surgery," Just as Matthias opened his mouth, the elevator door opened with a buzz, and a group of trainers poured in.

"Tell you what, find us later and we can talk a bit more." the two then stepped off of the elevator to find themselves in the packed lobby. Finding Rex would be a bit of a hassle.

* * *

After the arduous task of navigating through the crowds, Jordan had finally managed to find Rex and now the two were sitting down at a nearby table, each of them holding a soda and a buzzer. They were engrossed in their conversation about their battle, occasionally stopping to drink or watch one of the matches on the monitors above the front desk. Finally, amidst the middle of some conversation, both of the buzzers went off.

"I guess our Pokémon are ready," Jordan then stood up from his seat.

"I still can't believe that the center was so busy they had to rely on buzzers." Jordan just shrugged.

"It was like our match earlier, I guess. They have to be pre-" he was cut off by the annoying sound of static coming from the speakers in the lobby.

"Attention, Attention please." the female voice on the line said. "The final matches of the preliminary rounds are over, tomorrow the first rounds of the tournament begin at nine o' clock sharp. Thank You." the speakers then went dead with another annoying burst of static. At the mention of the end of the rounds, Jordan looked down at his wrist watch. Five Forty Eight.

"C'mon, let's go get our Pokémon and a bite to eat." Rex nodded in agreement and the duo set off to the Pokémon Center.

* * *

Well, this chapter is done, and so is this year. I don't really have anything else to say.

Credits:

BrickBoy1895 for the use of his characters Jordan Konerson, Ryan, Arthur, Dragon and Rex.

Matthias Unidostres for use of his namesake character.

Hoenn Master96 for advice for this story and Beta-Reading for me.

Pokémon for everything associated with it.

Monty Python's Flying Circus for John Cleese's catchphrase.


End file.
